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IBRD and IDA: Working for a World Free of Poverty.enLooking to the skies in Kiribati—La Niña and rainfall variability in the Central Pacifichttp://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/looking-to-the-skies-in-kiribati-la-ni-a-and-rainfall-variability-in-the-central-pacific
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<td><em>Rainfall is essential to recharge the freshwater lens that lies beneath coral atolls in Kiribati. Without it, the i-Kiribati people would not be able to grow plants and crops vital to their livelihood.</em></td>
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<p>Freshwater can be extremely scarce in the Republic of Kiribati, home to over 100,000 people scattered across 22 islands in the Central Pacific. Each year after a long dry season, significant rainfall is generally expected to arrive during November or December. Yet over the last few months only a tiny amount of rain has fallen. The islands are dry.</p>
<p>This is consistent with forecasts that predict La Ni&ntilde;a conditions will result in below normal rainfall during the 2010-11 wet season across the Gilbert Islands of Kiribati.</p>
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<p>&quot;We are likely to see drought conditions for most of the Gilbert Group. In the last La Ni&ntilde;a in 2007-08 there were drought conditions that went on for 15-16 months during that time,&quot; Douglas Ramsay, Manager for the Pacific Rim at NIWA, the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research explains.</p>
<p>This rainfall is essential not only to fill rainwater tanks but also to recharge the freshwater lens that lies beneath these coral atolls. It is this water that is used for the majority of water supply via wells and infiltration galleries. The lens also allows for the growth of breadfruit, coconut palms, giant taro, pandanus and other plants species to support the livelihood of the i-Kiribati people.</p>
<p>In the densely populated capital of South Tarawa, it is estimated that the current demand for safe chlorinated groundwater piped to households is already 40% above the sustainable yield of the utilised lens. Without enough supply, households resort to using the polluted well. As a result, mortality rates for children due to waterborne diseases are in the order of 11 in every 1000 children, amongst the highest in the Pacific.</p>
<p>Under the <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&amp;piPK=73230&amp;theSitePK=441883&amp;menuPK=441918&amp;Projectid=P089326">KAPII</a> (Kiribati Adaptation Program &ndash; Pilot Implementation Phase II), 14 outer islands in the Gilbert Group are receiving new rain gauges. KAPII is a project that aims to reduce Kiribati&rsquo;s vulnerability to climate change, climate variability and sea level rise through adaptation. The islands of Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka , Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, North Tarawa, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea North, Tabiteuea South, and Tamana will have <a href="http://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/drilling-for-water-in-kiribati">gauges installed and training provided</a> for the water technician based on each island to record rainfall data in compliance with Kiribati Meteorological Service standards.</p>
<p>Before the installation of the new gauges, a great deal of data was not being collected, and the government lacked information for planning for drought and high intensity rainfall events.</p>
<p>Ueneta Toorua, Research Officer at the Kiribati Meteorological Service explains. &quot;Our islands are small and widely scattered so rainfall varies between them. The general pattern is that the islands north of the equator have higher rainfall than those in the South.&quot;</p>
<p>Besides this, it is also the generally hot and dry weather that has shaped customary practices on the islands.</p>
<p>&quot;The temperature in Kiribati is very consistent throughout the year. This is important for drying copra and the production of dried fish. Our traditional ways are helped by having a consistent climate,&quot; said Mr. Toorua.</p>
<p>As global temperatures increase due to climate change, it is anticipated that average rainfall volumes and the intensity of extreme rainfall events will increase in Kiribati. Yet this rainfall may vary greatly between the islands or fall away from the islands where it is needed most.</p>
<p>&quot;Across the equatorial belt we are likely to see higher rainfall on average but that will be higher intensity, more extreme rainfall. Whether we see more intense droughts is still something that no one really knows. It will depend on how El Ni&ntilde;os and La Ni&ntilde;as change with climate change,&quot; Mr. Ramsay said.</p>
<p>Mr. Toorua and his colleagues at the Kiribati Meteorological Service have already seen evidence of this: &quot;Looking at the long term trends there is an increase here in temperature and also in rainfall. On Tarawa we have more data and it has clearly shown that there is a gradual increase in both. However there may be variation in these trends between different islands.&quot;</p>
<p>With the installation of rain gauges across the scattered atolls of the Gilbert Group, the hope is&nbsp;that the data collected will make it possible to answer some of these questions that are so fundamental to the future of Kiribati.<br />
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<em>The Government of Kiribati KAPII project is supported by the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, AusAID and NZAID.</em></p>Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:47:51 -0500Carlo IacovinoDrilling for water in Kiribatihttp://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/drilling-for-water-in-kiribati
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<p>Binataake Nawere stands bucketing water from his well in the strong afternoon sun at Betio in South Tarawa, Kiribati. &quot;We use well water for washing clothes and dishes,&quot; says 60-year old Binataake as he fills a large container with groundwater. The residents of Betio and many of Kiribati&rsquo;s residents often rely on well water to meet their needs. Fresh water is in short supply in Tarawa. The average house in Betio only receives tap-water for an hour and a half every 2 days.</p>
<p>The population of South Tarawa has grown from only 3,013 in 1931 to over 40,311 by 2005. Such rapid growth has led to a population density as high as 15,000 people per square kilometre on the narrow atoll islands. Tokyo, famous for overcrowding, has a population density almost three times lower.</p>
<p>A KAPII (Kiribati Adaptation Program &ndash; Pilot Implementation Phase II) working crew recently completed a two month long project to drill boreholes required to assess the thickness of the underground freshwater lens in Tarawa. The lens is made up of rain water that has infiltrated the soil of the atoll. This freshwater then actually floats on top of a layer of saltwater directly beneath each island.&nbsp;</p>
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<td><em>Tiaeke Tio and the KAPII drilling rig at Bikenibeu.</em></td>
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<p>&quot;It is my first time to see how it works, it is really exciting,&quot; says Tiaeke Tio, an i-Kiribati technician as he stands in front of the KAPII drilling rig. Measuring boreholes have been installed by the project at Tabiang, Tabuki and Nubeina in North Tarawa and at Bikenibeu, Bairiki and Betio in South Tarawa. These boreholes will build on the network already in place and enable ongoing assessments of the freshwater lens to be made.</p>
<p>The team has been led and trained by Colin Benjamin, an experienced driller from the UK. When Colin arrived in Tarawa he had some concerns about training a local team to drill. &quot;I thought the local language and labour issues were going to be difficult and therefore training would be hard. But it was the opposite, the i-Kiribati were very good,&quot; says Colin with a big smile on his face.</p>
<p>&quot;We can now measure where the freshwater lens starts and finishes and how this changes over time. This changes as it is affected by the amount of water pumped out, rainfall, tide and climate change,&quot; says Colin as they complete the last borehole in the grounds of the Betio Sport Complex.</p>
<p>This new information is necessary to plan for the sustainable use of water in Tarawa. If too much water is extracted at a location where the lens is not thick enough, saltwater is pumped up from below the freshwater lens causing contamination of the freshwater and making it unusable.</p>
<p>The 40,311 residents of South Tarawa are currently drawing on a groundwater supply that can only support half the population. Water scarcity is a critical issue and the risk of saltwater contamination of the freshwater lens is ever present, so discovering new water resources are critical.</p>
<p>Training an i-Kiribati team to operate the required equipment is vital for the sustainability of ground water monitoring in Tarawa. &quot;As far as the local drilling crew is concerned, we have managed to put together a very efficient team that is learning a lot,&quot; continues Colin. Tiaeke nods his head and responds, &quot;We have been drilling down to 15 or 20 metres, getting all the parts together and getting the machine going. I am learning something new.&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;It is good to learn about looking after the water here,&quot; says Tiaeke as he describes the importance of the KAPII team&rsquo;s work to Kiribati. &quot;It is where my ancestors lived, where I grew up, where my family is. I love the place and I love this country.&quot;</p>
<p>Binataake knows well the importance of the freshwater lens. &quot;When the government piped water supply is not operating and there is no rainwater, we only have the water from our well,&quot; he says lifting another full bucket, something he hopes to be able to rely on, now and into the future.</p>
<p><em>The Government of Kiribati KAPII project is supported by the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, AusAID and NZAID. The key goal is to reduce Kiribati&rsquo;s vulnerability to climate change, climate variability and sea level rise.</em></p>
<p><em>For more information: </em><a href="mailto:ciacovino@kap.gov.ki"><em>ciacovino@kap.gov.ki</em></a><em>&nbsp; </em></p>Sun, 11 Jul 2010 23:12:13 -0400Carlo Iacovino